Film Review: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (4 out of 5)

Steve Payne

For many comic fans, DC’s Superman and Batman will always be the very definition of superheroes.

Marvel have produced some superb characters, but Supes and the Dark Knight are the ones that first come to mind.

They go back many decades and have appeared on the small and big screen in various incarnations - although rarely successfully.

The Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy finally gave us a decent interpretation, but Superman has been a struggle.

This latest movie finally comes close to nailing it.

It starts with Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) trying to ensure the safety of his employees as Superman and the evil Zod battle it out (as seen in 2013’s Man of Steel), wrecking buildings and killing lots of innocent people.

After Zod is defeated the question is raised - can we trust Superman, someone who has the power to wipe out the planet?

Helping to fuel the hysteria is business magnate Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) who has his own agenda.

There’s plenty of action from the get-go and it’s good to see that lessons have been learned from the last Superman film - instead of the fight scenes being just a blur they are more controlled.

Henry Cavill is fine as Superman and, despite my early reservations, Affleck is pretty good as Batman.

Eisenberg, though, is a revelation as Luthor, showing the deep paranoia the character has always had in the comics.

The film pulls in various plot sources, including one of the most dramatic Superman comic storylines DC has ever produced.

And the film sets us up for a series of movies way into the future as the Justice League begins to come together.

So now the new arguments will begin - is Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman tough enough, will Ezra Miller cut it as The Flash, can Jason Momoa be an effective Aquaman?